Marin Headlands

Just beyond the Golden Gate Bridge, a short journey from a bustling city lies an enchanting land.  From beaches to bunkers, to horses, hawks, and hills; it’s an incredible place. It’s an amazing refuge with a rich history and a bright future.

This is one of Doug’s favorite views in the whole Bay Area. This wild and wonderful spot is known as the Marin Headlands, a crown jewel in our extraordinary Golden Gate National Park.  Out here, history and nature are celebrated, and just about anyone can find inspiration.

Separating ocean from bay, the Marin Headlands make up the northern half of the Golden Gate. It’s one of the largest and wildest sections of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Visitors here explore these hills on foot and by bike. One of best ways to get out and explore the beauty here is by horseback.

“People love the view, love being on horses, and the combo is just great.  Good for kids, responsibility, team work”, says Derek Williamson who is a riding instructor for Miwok Stables. Nestled in the scenic Tennessee Valley, Miwok Stables is open to the public and offers riding classes, trail rides and boarding. According to Derek, “There’s never a moment wasted when you’re on horseback.”

We’re looking to get a trailside view of the headlands so we ride out from the stables.
Derek leads us up the hill and into the hinterland of the headlands. We head up the Marincello Trail. We ride through forests and chaparral up to the ridgeline where we’re rewarded with spectacular views of Tiburon, Mt. Tam, and beyond. We’ve made it to the summit, and to a city that never was. This is where Marincello would have been situated, the main block of the city.

In the 1960’s a city of 30,000 was proposed for this area. It was to be called Marincello, but those who cherished this land as open space fought to protect it.

“I think the whole area would have eventually been developed. This would be great place to live, but certainly it’d only be a few people who could live here and enjoy it so this is great that we can all enjoy it.”, shares Derek.

Grateful to those who helped preserve this place, we can all enjoy its beauty, wildness, and wildlife. In fact there’s one place here that’s an epicenter for wildlife. It’s perhaps the best place in the bay area to watch raptors.

“Hawk Hill” is a magnet for raptors. From Red Tail Hawks to Eagles and Kestrels, 19 different species of raptor migrate past this unique place.

Allen Fish, the director of the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory, says “It really is an astonishing spot.  When I got here I was twenty-three years old. I thought these are bunch of bird heads and I’m one of them and we’re just doing this great bird project together“.

It’s the wind and the topography that makes this a good place for raptors to fly and, makes it a good place for US to watch them. These “Hawk Watchers” are volunteers for the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory and some of them have been coming out here for years. They’re counting birds and the data they collect is helping scientists to better understand them.

Today we’re a premier conservation biology or what I would call a citizen science program”, says Allen.   “This is a spaghetti of raptor movement that happens throughout the bay area, and throughout, I would say, the central California coastal area.”

Their work has changed the way we think about raptors. And while it is true that some raptors migrate between Alaska and Argentina, new data shows that many don’t journey quite so far. Volunteers share what they’re learning with the public.

This is the site of the Pacific Coast’s largest raptor migration.

You can venture up this way any time, but every Saturday and Sunday from September to October the Raptor Observatory gives “Hawk Talks” and Bird Banding Demonstrations.

They catch and band the birds to keep track of them and today they caught a Cooper’s Hawk.  “One of the things that makes a bird a raptor is having sharp talons” explains Craig Nikitas as he gives us a bird banding demonstration.

Once banded and measured the hawk is now ready to be released.

 Inspiration and beauty can be found in all kinds of places around the headlands, even indoor. Based in an old army barracks, the Headlands Center for the Arts is a home for artists, and offers them a place to create.

The residency program here attracts artists from around the world.
“We’re harder to get into than Harvard”, comments their Director Gary Sangster.
He adds “We create an environment which is very welcoming, very hospitable, and very community oriented”.

Director Gary Sangster, Communications Manager Rebecca Lehrer, and the rest of the staff are gracious hosts.

Rebecca shares that here at the Headlands Center for Arts “We believe that art is important to making the fabric of the world richer, people...they let go and they get inspired”.

Opportunities like this are rare for artists, and they can be life changing.

Take Iona Brown for example who is a native of Washington DC., and is one of the 20 artists in residence here. The change in landscape is affecting her work.
Iona explains that “One of the things that I’ve been working on is nature… so the mountains and the fog rolling in has been really influential”

For Iona, they give artists an opportunity to break away from the madness and just be that creative being.

The setting and the center make for a powerful creative combination.
The public can glimpse this creative process during the Center’s public programs, including their quarterly open house.

All of the studios are open, and these are artists that you will see in galleries and start to understand how they made that.
Some programs have artists presenting works in progress and all programs include a very special treat.

Rebecca adds that “About four times a month the public can come here and for $15 eat a five star, five course gourmet local organic meal”.

From fantastic food and innovative art… to a wild and scenic landscape full of wildlife and open for exploration, the Marin Headlands is a treasure for all of us.

Rebecca reminds us that “To go for hikes, to see wildlife, it can’t help but inspire you”.

To learn more visit:

Marin Headlands
http://www.nps.gov/goga/marin-headlands.htm
Phone:   (415) 331-1540

Miwok Livery Stables
http://www.miwokstables.com/
701 Tennessee Valley Road, Mill Valley, California 94941
Phone:  (415) 383-8048   
Fax:       (415) 389-9414
Email:  miwokoffice@aol.com

“Hawk Hill”
Golden Gate Raptor Observatory
http://www.ggro.org/
Building 201, Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA 94123 
Phone:   (415) 331-0730
Email:  ggro@parksconservancy.org

Headlands Center for the Arts
http://www.headlands.org
944 Fort Barry
Sausalito, CA 94965
Phone:   (415) 331-2787
Fax:        (415) 331-3857

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